25 February 2009

secular lent

even though i'm not a catholic anymore, i enjoy the challenge of lent. it's a time of year where i set a goal for myself and then end with a reward. at times when disappointing things are going on around me - such as derek losing his job - it's a great excercise in restraint and payoff. this year i'd like to look at getting a new digital camera (polaroid pogo!) and figure if i can hold off for a while, the purchase will feel more worth it in the end.

let's see... been curbing my impulse buys when i go out. been getting more things used. been eating at home more. been devouring spinach and avocados by the truckload. (i refuse to give up avocados for lent - it's a challenge, not torture!) been taking my medication and not throwing so many tantrums. in fact, i've been strangely pragmatic in general as of late.

so my new challenge? shopping local only. no chain store or internet buys until after easter. it might not sound like a big sacrifice for me, as i currently support many local businesses, but i assure you i'm already feeling the strain on day one. perceived loss is always greater than real loss, remember? thinking ahead, it's only a matter of time before i take that familiar turn into that familiar lot and realize i can't go into that familiar store.

no more target! au revoir, mon ami... boo hoo, sniff sniff. it's my biggest corporate weakness. i can forgo the sale jeans at the gap and the random sundries at big craft stores, but target is hard to give up. is that weird? maybe it's the endcaps of happy clearance products. maybe it's the weird dollar section at the front of the store. maybe it's the socks. whatever the case, i can rattle off a whole shopping list of things i "need from target" now that i've put myself on restriction. will i crack in the end? arrgghhhh!!!

of course, last year i took the money i was going to spend on a new pair of vogs (it was a no new clothing ban, to keep me from impulse buying super fancy shoes) and gave it all away to nonprofits in the area right after easter. perhaps i can humble myself in the same way this year. i found that waiting to make an extravagant purchase led me to thinking of all the other things i could be doing with that cash. those fucking spring fund drives get me every time. it must be my leftover inappropriate catholic guilt being activated.

there is good news to balance out my target loss. quiktrip is local. ladonna's is local. steve's and southern agriculture are right next door to each other. several other places i already shop on a regular basis are local. my oh my, there's always the thrift store on half price day! see how i'm helping my peeps with this pledge? it's all about stimulus, baby.

in other financial news, i'm trying to live on more of a cash diet overall. having to scrounge in my bag for an extra dime really makes me think about where my money goes. instead of being in a panic about the economy and our jobs, i've got more of a "suck it up" attitude. we've had it so much worse before and there's no use in being chicken little. (though i am partial to chickens...) instead i will sit home and watch the movie chicken little while gluing random things together. that's entertainment!


what i hate most this week:
those endless forms in online applications
listening to the news
keeping my mouth shut at rehearsal
waiting...

5 comments:

lizgwiz said...

You're keeping your mouth shut at rehearsal? Who are you, and what have you done with George?! :)

Anonymous said...

I actually love the idea of giving something up. I have to do it soon though, right ? Like now ? Now !

The Forgotten Wonder Triplet said...

I love the idea of shopping locally only. Its something I try to do on a regular basis, but can be difficult sometimes, which is why this is a fantastic 40 day thing. Good on you!

I always used to give up watermelon for Lent, back when I was Catholic. Until, that is, I gave up Catholicism for Lent. And it worked so well, I never went back to it!

georgeious said...

liz, i'm sure you've heard about the odd situations going on there. i'm being a good chicken for a change... since i'm NOT the director this time! oh how it hurts my little brain.

bonnie, did you decide on something?

tanya, rhiannon gave up dr. pepper, so i think i have it easy. secular lent must be catching on.

Anonymous said...

Well, I HAD decided on giving up swearing, but that went out the window almost as soon as it began. Damn ! So now I've decided to give up soda, COKE, which will be a very difficult challenge for me. Since I'll be in sunny Vegas for spring break, maybe my little reward will be actually wearing swimwear in the pool ;) ( as opposed to shorts and a tshirt ) But we'll have to see how this goes ...